Don't worry mmace, you're not alone. I've seen this problem manifest itself, for me it's usually a very quick blip while the right camera goes wonky, but noticeable none the less. I haven't used 3D enough, but no doubt I would eventually get the huge discrepancies your videos demonstrate. I don't know what HTC is doing to record 3D, but I get the feeling both cameras are operating independently (focus, wb, etc), and I think there is some sort of active on-board processing going on where the two images are being merged. I know common sense dictates two cameras = two video streams = humans have two eyes, but I don't think it's that simple. The 2nd camera absolutely is not physically moving, so when the right camera suddenly shifts 20% then corrects itself, it must be the result of some sort of software merging gone awry. Kind of like how P&S cameras have internal panorama modes that attempt to crudely align multiple images to make an in-camera panorama.
I've also tried to enlighten the xda crowd over the shortcomings of the camera compared to the original EVO (
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/21884233/evocompare.jpg) yet most people become very upset at the notion their new device isn't perfect, and took it out on the messenger, just like they have to you in this thread. It's sort of interesting to witness though, as the confrontational attitudes from many people are a direct glimpse into things such as cognitive dissonance and post-purchase rationalization. Honestly, it's a bit shocking to see how these mental states can take such a firm and decisive grip, often times entirely overriding the thought processes that would normally allow one to perform rational reasoning. And I guess it goes without saying, it's particularly ironic to see such behavior within a group of people who are often brutally judgmental of similar qualities in Apple's flock of sheeple.
When I pay a multibillion dollar company to produce a product with a certain set of features, I expect them to work as advertised. Period. A small bug or two is fine, I can understand that.
But when flagship features are unable to meet their own expectations even under optimal conditions, that's just cheap, shoddy, lazy development (or, hopefully, merely code). Reminds me of when HTC dropped the framerate of the entire original Evo down to NTSC, merely because they were too lazy to properly code a separate interface for HDMI.
A few years ago, extra things like cameras on cell phones were just icing on the cake, supplemental features that were "cool", but didn't make or break a product because there was really no competition. But nowadays that's very different. Things like camera quality (or new features like 3D ability) are vital to differentiating and promoting a device in the sea of smartphones we're swimming in. With more and more people ditching dedicated devices (P&S cameras, video cameras, MP3 players, etc) and turning to smartphones, these features are now pillars of everyday life and they deserve more than the caviler attention manufacturers have been willing to give them in the past.
